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Paris, France…a cold and wintery city of lights. I stumbled upon a cool and also delicious restaurant in the 11th Arrondissement near Republique! A former Pharmacy converted to a restaurant with amazing food, low key vibe, cute servers, and reasonable prices….

A delicious steak with the finest sliced and roasted potatoes! Oh, Paris always delivers on gourmet but this new find makes it really hip too.

Paris, France…I have travelled to Paris yearly for decades and of course I have “my places”!

I have done this trip on business so many times that I have an automatic itinerary and route I follow. I can cover this city in under three days like a true pro!

This time my trip is more relaxed and I don’t need to be so thorough…I am taking my time and just hitting my absolute favorites and by going off course I hope to discover spots I may have overlooked on previous visits!

But there is one habit that I cannot break…lunch or dinner at Chez Andre! It’s a must, I don’t feel I have been in Paris if I have not been here. I have brought many people here and introduced them to this charming French bistro near the Champs Élysées. I was introduced to it on one of my first trips in 1990 and have returned religiously ever since! I have years of memories logged at this place shared with various friends and colleagues over the years.

Chez Andre dates back to the 1930’s and I love the very Parisian waitresses in their black uniforms with starch white collar and matching apron. Several of these ladies have been here as long as I have been indulging in their delicious French fare!

I start with a delicious kir royale, then either the amazing lentil salad or goat cheese salad, of course accompanied by to die for bread and fresh butter..but the “piece de resistance” for me is the steak tartare with a side of pommes frites! Oh la la! Yum Yum! Today I skip desert, but the tarte tatin is heaven…

Some habits die hard and this French tradition is going no where! I look forward to returning to Paris soon along with another amazing meal at Chez Andrez…

Cape Town, South Africa…I have been really enjoying South Africa…food is of course a highlight of any trip…the chance to eat things you have never had before and experience brand new flavors! Being situated on the water, Cape Town is a haven for seafood! But, I have been perplexed by fish I have never heard of and makes ordering very difficult…

Besides the typical Salmon, Tuna, and Yellowtail, there are a myriad of different species that are not popular in the USA or anywhere else I have travelled for that matter. So I did some research and compiled a list of some of these local delicacies…I have tried most and have really enjoyed the seafood of Cape Town!

Here is an overview:

Hake: They are a mild fish, having a more subtle flavour than cod. Hake is considered one of the best fish in the whiting family because of its firm, sweet, white meat and medium flake. Commonly used for delicious local fish & chips.

Kob or Dusky Kob: a much sought after fish, due to its firm, white flesh & mild flavor ensuring an outstanding culinary experience…usually prepared simply and delicious.

Kingklip: this fish has mild, sweet flavor with firm and dense flesh resembling monkfish, but softer and with large loose flakes. I have experienced a popular cajun preparation of this that was outstanding! The denseness holds up and is a delicious fish.

Soldierfish: This red fish with meat is kind of mushy, so you have to cook it longer so that it dries out a little. It can be fishy tasting but it is very popular in Japan as well as here in South Africa.

Snoek: This is the fish most associated with South Africa. It is sold fresh, smoked, canned and frozen. It is oily, extremely bony (although the bones are large and easily removed from the cooked fish) and has very fine scales which are almost undetectable, making it unnecessary to scale the fish while cleaning. Snoek has a very distinctive taste. It is prepared very much like tuna from sandwiches to Snoek cakes.

Bluenose: also known as antarctic butterfish: Bluenose have firm textured flesh, which is moist and succulent. The pink/white flesh whitens on cooking. Bluenose are regarded as premium fillets, which suit most cooking methods.﻿

I love learning about anything new and I love to eat! I make every trip into a culinary experience from street food to fine restaurants, this way you really can get a feel of a place!

Kotor, Montenegro…sunny skies greeted our early arrival today into this picturesque town nestled in the base of a gorgeous mountainside.

I love getting inside perspectives of places from those in the know, so when the opportunity to set out with the ship’s chef into the local market presented itself, I thought this would be a fun intro into today’s port and it’s culture! Unfortunately, the early bird gets the worm and in order to have our pick of the liter, we had to set off very early on our expedition.

Fresh tiny blueberries picked this morning on nearby hillsides, wild raspberries & plump blackberries in abundance…exceptional homemade olive oils being peddled by the woman who bottled them…robust fruit & veggies straight from remote village farms…cured meats with the animal’s hoof still attached all made for a taste of local flavor!

Our South African chef assessed it all and bargained with the vendors as a crowd grew around him. It seemed the whole waterfront market was abuzz trying to get him to select their goods. We walked away with kilos of berries, some homemade cheese, and a type of local prosciutto that will all find their way into our lunch and dinner tonight! I always love a market, but getting to do it with an expert came with the added perk of a lot of taste testing of the fare on display. Yum!

Sitges, Spain…I am thoroughly enjoying my chill time at the beach! But I love to eat and I am finding some YUMMY treats seaside in Spain…

This tiny town was a former sleepy fishing village and it definitely stays true to that DNA with amazing fresh seafood. Of course, this is Spain, so cured meats, tapas, olives, and potatoes (patatas bravas) are in abundance. To accompany your meal, Spanish wines, white or red Sangria, and every version of Mojitos (strawberry Mojito seem to be a local favorite) are on the drink list.

I have experienced some amazing seafood while here and I especially like how creatively Spanish staples are mixed with fresh caught fish!

Fresh calamari rings, large langoustines (large shrimp), sardines prepared in a myriad of ways seem on every menu straight from the morning catch. Paella made with an array of seafood is an easy shareable plate that is super satisfying, black squid ink paella with shrimp (arroz Negro) is definitely an interesting looking choice if you want to try something new and a bit more rich… But, I love finding more creative fish preparations that I would rarely see back home…

Yesterday, I had a delicious lunch beachside that I am still thinking about! Local fresh Turbot sautéed with Iberian Ham in a light garlic vinaigrette (Rodaballo con vinagreta tibia de jambon iberico y ago). Unusual, yet delicious! Lucious fillet of white meat turbot with crunchy bits of ham, sautéed like bacon…sooo good! You know I never met a pork product I didn’t like..

Today is fresh caught Tuna (Atun) that I am swooning over! Now this is definitely NOT “chicken of the sea”!